The current trend in food colorants has increasingly centered on naturally occurring pigments because of consumer preferences. Crocm. the digentiobioside of crocetin. and other crocetin glycosides namely crocetin gentiobioside glucoside crocetin diglucoside and others are probably the only true water-soluble natural carotenoid pigments and are the constituent of saffron, the world's most expensive spice. (Basker D, Negbi M 1983 Uses of saffron. Eco Boi 37. 228–236.) and of cape jasmine fruit [(Gardenia jaxminoidix Ellis, Ichi T. Katayema T. Toda M 1993 Changes in carotenoid pattern during development of gardenia fruit. Okayuma Daiguku\ciftikuhn Gakujutsu Hokoku (Japan) 82, 9–15; (Chem Abstr 1994, 121 : 104261u); Kamikura M. Naka/ato K. 1985 Comparison of natural yellow colors extracted from saffron. Crocus xaiivux and gardenia fruit, Gardenia jasminoides. Eisei Shikensho Hokoku (Japan) 103, 157–160(Chem Abstr 1986 105: 75885 n)]. Attempts for the production of crocin pigment in cultured cells of G. jitsminoidis is also underway [(Nawa Y. Ohtali 1. 1992 Induction of Callus from flesh of Gardenia jasrninuiJex Ellis fruit and formation of yellow pigment in the callus. Biochem 56. 1732–1736: Kim S H. Park Y G, Lu Y H 1991 Suspension Culture of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis cell for production of yellow pigment. J. Microbial Bioiechnol 1. 142–149; Kohda H 1991 Production of useful pigments in cultured cells of Gardenia jasminoidcs form glandiflora. Fragrance .1 44–47)].
The orange-red tripartite stigmas from Crocus sativns flowers after drying constitute the saffron of commerce, used for colouring and flavouring food and in the Ayurvedic system of medicine (Sastry L V L, Srinivasan M. Subrahmanyan V 1955 Saffron (Crocus xativus I.). JSci Industr Res 14A, 178–184). Saffron is valued both for its colouring and flavour properties whereas cape jasmine is a colour source only. Freshly picked saffron is virtually odourless but during drying odoriferous substances develop by degradation of bitter picrocrocm. The saffron taste may be described as somewhat bitter, while its flavour is generally warm honey like and very pleasing.
The plant C. salivus L Fam. Iridaceae), a perennial, stemless. low-growing herb with globular corms is a native of Greece and Asia-minor and now cultivated in various parts of the world from Europe to China. Today. Iran is the major supplier to the world market but its quality is not as high as that of the former supplier, Spain. India is also a major producer (approx. 30 tones per annum valued at US S20 million). Successful and significant penetration of the international market will be dependent upon introduction of quality products by India either as such in the form of saffron or through value added newer products. This patent reports a new value added product of saffron. The total concentration of pigments (Crocins). volatile and bitter principles, in processed material was very close to that present in the corresponding starting material i.e. in saffron filaments. Keeping in view, its utility as a ready to serve new flavouring and colouring material, the product and process is likely to be well received by food and pharmaceutical industry. In addition, crocins obtained may also be used for anti-carcinogenic activity and other pharmacological studies [Escribano J, Alonoso G L, Salinas M R and Fernandez J A. 197. n″ P970064, Spain; Garcia F E. C. A. (2000) 133: P254466b].
The chief pigments of saffron are Crocetin & its esters Crocin-1 [Crocetin-di-(jS-D-gentiobiosyl) ester], Crocin-2 [CrocetinH3-D-gentiobiosyl)-(|3-D-glucosyl)-ester], Crocin-3 (Crocetin-mono-/J-D-gentiobiosyl ester), Crocin-4 (0-D-monoglucoside ester of monomethyl a-crocetin): Crocetin-di-(/3-D-glucosyl) ester; Croceiin-mono-|8-D-glucosylester; 13-m-Crocin along with minor amounts of Crocetin-(j8-gentiobiosyl)-(/3-neopolitanosyl)-ester, Mangicrocin (mangiferin-6′-O-crocetyl-1″-0-0-D-glucoside ester). a-Carotene, 0-Carotene, lycopene. zeaxanthin, Neapolitanose-(( )-0-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→>2)-p-<ij-D-glucopyranosyl-(1−+6)-D-glucose), 7-O-Glucopyranoside-3-0-sophoroside, 7-O-sophoroside of Kaempferol (flavonol glycosides). Di-/3-D-gentiobiosyl, 0-D-gentiobiosyl-0-D-glucopyranosyl esters. Kaempferol-3-sophoroside and Kaempferol-3-rutinoside-7-glucoside. The stigma also contain carbohydrates, minerals (KO. Na,O. PO,. S( )4. Cl. B and others), vitamins, fat, picrocrocin & volatile oils. The quantitative distribution of pigments in stigmas was established by using UV spectroscopic method. In order to obtain a high quality product, it would be desirable to check the process of hydrolysis of crocin and allied pigments during processing. The concentration of total crocins in various commercial samples varied from 4.0 to 12.0% as determined by UV spectrophotometry at 440 nm.
Fresh stigmas were virtually odourless and most of the flavour compounds were formed by thermal and enzymic degradation of picrocrocin [4-(8-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde] into glucose, safranal (2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxaldehyde) and 4-hydroxysafranal (2,6,6-trimethyl-4-fl-hydroxy-1-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde). Safranal further undergoes enzymic reduction and non-en/ymic oxidation, decarboxylation and isomerization to afford isophorone-related compounds. Safranal and isophorone derivatives have been reported as the chief flavour constituents of superior grade saffron (Zarghami N S. Heinz D E 1971 Monoterpene aldehydes and isophorone related compounds of saffron. Phyiochem 102755–2761; The volatile constituents of saffron. Lehenxim Wiss Technol 42–4).
In India, saffron is produced mostly in J & K State. The conventional methods involve separation of stigma from flowers and post-harvest processing followed by drying to afford saffron of commerce. Earlier, Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu had devised a process for the quality post-harvest processing and drying of saffron to afford product of ISO Standards or even better (Raina B L, Agarwal. S G, Bhatia A K, Gaur G S 1996 Changes in Pigments and Volatiles of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) During Processing and Storage, J Sci. Food Agric. 71. 27–32)
Most of the information on analysis and chemical composition of saffron is of academic interest. No concrete information is available in the literature for the quantitative isolation of total pigments and flavour material (ex Crocus sativus stigma or from any other source) into a value-added product economically, hence the necessity for the development of a process. The above mentioned literature survey revealed that most of the important coloring and flavour compounds of saffron are glycosidic in nature, which undergo enzymatic and thermal hydrolysis and degradation during processing and storage thus rendering it difficult to isolate quality determining coloring pigments and flavour compounds in quantitative yields Probably due to this reason, no ready to use saffron preparations are available in the market.
One of the problems faced by the food industry is that most of the carotenoid available in the market are insoluble in water and being extracted from the plant sources with organic solvents like chlorinated solvents and petroleum based aromatic hydrocarbons. Since there are restrictions on the use of solvent extracted pigments and flavors in the processed food industry, thus there is a scope for the development of a process avoiding use of organic solvents for the extraction of ready to use pigments and flavor chemicals for the food industry. The present invention provides a process, which uses so to say natural solvents with total recovery of desirable materials in quantitative yield without solvent residues along with the separation of value added fraction of high utility from the starting materials. Since, saffron is used from a long-long time as food additive, its harmlessness for human consumption has been more than proved, hence of the products thereof. Moreover, recently its great anti-oxidative and anti-tumor activities [Esribano. J et a). Cancer Letters! 19%) 100. 2.1–30) have been demonstrated. Saffron has a very high retail value because its cultivation and collection of flowers is a very labor-intensive process. Saffron collection in fact involves three separate manual steps consisting picking of flowers, separating of stigma and drying or post-harvest processing. To produce 1 kg of saffron, processing of nearly 1.5 lacs to 2.5 lacs flowers is necessary. Introduction of IVth processing step for the production of ready to use/serve freely water-soluble value added product may be of immense value for the food and pharmaceutical industry.
No prior art is available in the literature concerning the present invention.